


you make it easy, you make it right

by Jellybean96



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Friendship, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Mac's POV, Marriage, POV Alternating, Parenthood, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Undercover, riley's pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29836893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jellybean96/pseuds/Jellybean96
Summary: Mac and Riley must go undercover as a newly engaged couple to find information about some illegal dealings. Should be easy. Except for the fact that Riley's still in love with Mac but trying not to let it show while falling even harder for him, and Mac is completely unaware of the effect he has on Riley but might be starting to realize a few things for himself.
Relationships: Angus MacGyver/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen (minor/background), Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Wilt Bozer & Riley Davis (MacGyver TV 2016), Wilt Bozer/Leanna Martin (background)
Comments: 148
Kudos: 218





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new story for you all! I had so much fun writing this one, and am so happy to finally be able to share it with all of you. I don't really know where the idea spurred from, maybe from my desire to see more Mac and Riley undercover together. But alas, this idea was born and I wasn't quite sure how long it would end up being, but it's now sitting at six chapters and I'm so pleased with myself. Especially since I was able to actually include the actual mission piece of the story instead of just purely writing Mac and Riley undercover together. So you're welcome. :)
> 
> And now prepare yourself for pining, pain, and a little bit of angstiness thrown in there.
> 
> Enjoy!

Going on an op where she has to work closely with Mac doesn't bother her. They've been working together and have been friends long enough by now to typically know what the other's thinking in the field before they do it or right as they're getting ready to do it. They work pretty seamlessly together, have for a very long time, and it's helped them many times when out in the field.

So this is nothing new, it doesn't bother her, they even share a smile at the thought of getting to work closely again. She genuinely enjoys spending time with Mac, whether it's on an op or just in their regular everyday lives; he's good company on ops when things are slow and he makes her laugh and keeps her entertained with stories from his and Bozer's childhood or something science-y that she doesn't quite understand.

What does bother her is that they have to go undercover as an engaged couple. On a big weekend getaway, designed to help newly engaged couples plan out their perfect wedding, while also being the front for some kind of illegal dealings. They're going to have to act like a couple who's in love in front of dozens of other couples who are actually real and in love. And he's still dating Desi—unless they're off right now. And she still definitely has very strong romantic feelings for him despite how much she's tried to force them down the last couple of years.

She's made every effort she can to move past her feelings, to not let them completely consume her. But it's done very little to help. Even the distance she's been trying to put between them because it's starting to hurt more and more whenever she's near him hasn't done much to help. Because she is still very much in love with him.

So yeah, this op is definitely starting to bother her.

"Wouldn't it make more sense if I was the one going undercover with Mac?" Desi speaks up with a slight furrow to her brow after Matty's finished explaining the op. "I mean...I know Riley will do a good job, but Mac and I are actually a couple so it'll be easier for us."

"While normally, yes, I would agree with you, Desi," Matty says with a small nod, "you're much better suited to be going in as part of the venue's security team."

So maybe Mac and Desi are actually back on but just never bothered to tell anyone. Though, to be fair, they never usually tell anyone what the status of their relationship is. Which makes it harder to keep track of the constant back and forth that goes on between them. Some days they'll be sharing kisses and talking about where to go on their next date, and other days they hardly look at each other and have very stilted conversations. She gets whiplash just thinking about the status of their relationship.

And she can't help but feel a little hurt by Desi's words, a small part of her fearing that Desi somehow knows about her feelings for Mac and that's why she doesn't want Riley to pretend to be Mac's fiancé. Deep down she knows that can't be it, that the only one who knows about her feelings is Bozer. And then her mom found out after apparently just being in the room once with her and Mac after the incident in Germany, and seeing the way she looks at him and acts around him. She'd denied it, of course, but she knew her mom didn't believe her and still doesn't. Mother's intuition, right?

So now she's going to have to endure a fake engagement while she's quite literally in love with the guy she's supposed to be pretending to be in love with. This is going to be an interesting weekend, that's for sure. But she's a professional, she can do this. She's only been silently pining for her best friend for a few years now, so she should be able to find a way to not let herself get too...invested.

"Hey, you okay?"

She looks up at Bozer with furrowed brows. "What? Um...yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Bozer glances around the War Room—everyone else has already left—as well as out the windows and then back at her. He lowers his voice, "You and Mac? Mission? Engaged?"

" _Pretending_ to be engaged, Bozer," she clarifies with a slight roll of her eyes and the tiniest of smiles on her face, hiking her backpack up onto her back. "We'll just be pretending for the sake of the mission."

"I know that. But I just wanted to check in with you, make sure that you're gonna be okay doing this while you're...you know...feeling how you do."

The edges of her lips quirk up. "Bozer, I'm fine. Honest. I've worked closely with Mac plenty of times on missions since my sudden epiphany of romantic feelings toward him."

"Yeah, but none of them have had you two pretending to be newly engaged for such a long amount of time. So excuse me if I'm a little concerned about one of my best friends and her feelings."

She reaches out to rest her hands on his shoulders, looking him directly in the eyes. "I promise you I'm fine, Bozer. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. I'm professional enough to not let myself get sucked into whatever delusions of grandeur that this op might conjure up." She drops her hands and gives him a look. "Promise me you won't get all crazy."

He lets out a small sigh and nods. "Alright, I promise I won't get all crazy. So long as _you_ promise _me_ that you'll let me know if your feelings start to get too much for you at any point during the op and you need someone to talk to."

"I promise." She doesn't bother trying to convince him that she'll be fine, that she has a good enough handle on her feelings at this point to not let them get the best of her. She knows it won't work because she's trying to tell herself the same thing and it is not working. At all.

.

.

.

Grabbing Mac's hand that he offers to her as she steps down out of the shuttle van, Riley flashes him a tight, grateful smile. Her heart jumps when he smiles back and she forces her feelings down once again, tells herself that this is all fake and it's just for an op, that it doesn't mean anything. But the very real engagement ring provided by the Phoenix that's adorning her hand makes that part of herself that she tries to keep at bay wish that it was real. That it wasn't just an act. That it's not just pretend.

She lets go of his hand quickly, trying to subtly wipe her palm against the fabric of her jeans. She ignores the confused look he gives her, instead choosing to focus on the mission they started as soon as they stepped foot in the terminal for the shuttle that brought them to the getaway.

They'd spent the majority of the ride speaking in hushed tones to discuss their cover story, making sure they have all the necessary details straight. Thankfully, it doesn't stray too far from the truth of their relationship. Except for the fact that they're not actually in one.

And now that they're at the venue for the event, all she wants to do is get to their room so she can hopefully relax for a few minutes and try to keep her feelings shoved down as far as humanly possible. Even though she has to act all lovey-dovey with Mac on this op—which really isn't an issue on her end of things—she's going to do her absolute best to not let it consume her. It's what'll be best for all of them in the long run.

Out of the corner of her eye, as the group is being ushered away from the shuttle and closer to the venue, she spots Desi patrolling the grounds with some of the other security guards; she really does look the part. Bozer stands nearby as well with a handful of other photographers, all of them snapping photos as the couples step off of the shuttle. She prays that no one gets any shots of her and Mac, or if they do, that the photos get destroyed soon after. She'd prefer none, though, so that there's not even the slightest chance of there being tangible proof of any of this happening. She doesn't need the painful reminder.

Unfortunately for her, Bozer moves closer to where she and Mac are standing as he snaps photo after photo, chatting up the couples as he goes.

"Look at all these lovely people," he remarks as walks, his camera trained and at the ready. He stops to snap a photo of a particularly snooty-looking couple. "That's the moneymaker right there," he tells them with a small laugh. "You two are very photogenic."

Riley turns away when Bozer catches her eye, hoping he gets the message to stay away from them. But he doesn't. The gravel crunches under his footsteps and then he's stopping right in front of them.

She looks up at him and glares. "What are you doing?" she asks through gritted teeth.

"Playing the part," he responds, holding the camera up but then bringing it back down just as quick to fiddle with some of the buttons. "I'm snapping photos of everyone so they can be sent back to the Phoenix to try and identify any potential buyers that might be using the engagement as a cover."

Riley raises a brow. "Which brings you over here, why?"

He shrugs, lifting his camera. "Gotta play the part, right?" He chuckles as he looks through the viewfinder. "Now you two need to play the part and act like a couple in love, please."

Before Riley can say anything more to Bozer, Mac's arm snakes around her waist and pulls her against his side. A warmth immediately settles itself in her skin right where his arm is, and it's one of the best feelings. What she wouldn't give to have this feeling more, and to have it be Mac that makes it happen.

Swallowing thickly, she brings one hand to rest on Mac's back, and the other up to his chest, resting over his heart. She plasters a smile on her face, knowing it's strained but hoping it doesn't look that way. The op has barely even started and she's already wishing she'd faked a serious illness to get out of it.

Bozer snaps the photo, shoots them a smile, and then walks away to another couple.

She pulls her hands off Mac instantly and takes a small step away, hoping no one else has seen. The last thing they need at a couple's retreat is to not look like a couple. His arm falls away from her waist when she moves and she immediately misses the warmth. But she can't let herself go there right now, she needs to stay focused.

Thankfully, the overly perky voice that speaks up, welcoming them all to the weekend-long event, does the trick and allows her to focus on anything other than Mac. But it's when she's zeroing in on the young woman standing at the front of the group that she feels the small patch of heat against her lower back. She curses herself internally for wearing such a thin shirt, allowing her to be able to feel Mac's hand pressed firmly yet gently against her.

She leans back into his touch, tells herself that she's only responding that way for the op, to sell the bit. Deep down she knows it's a lie, but she can't let herself go there. Not now. They have a mission to focus on and she can't let herself get distracted by Mac, can't let herself indulge too much in the little things. She's hoping that they'll find the information they need before the day is up so they can get home and she can stop pretending to be engaged to Mac.

Their room assignments get passed out after the welcome speech is finished, and Riley was silently hoping that the people who run this event would be extremely old-fashioned and not let any of the couples share a room since they're not married yet. But, unfortunately for her feelings, she and Mac are assigned to the same room. She knows it'll be easier for communication and planning to not have to sneak into one another's room at night, but still, she can't help how she feels.

When they make it to their room, they find a laminated weekend itinerary stuck just underneath the door, outlining the entire weekend's activities. Which is going to make doing their job of finding information a whole lot harder.

"It says here we have a mixer in the sunroom in a couple of hours," Mac tells her as she makes her way further into the room. "And then dinner right after in the dining room. They have the entire weekend planned out to the minute. I didn't realize this thing would be so...scheduled. None of us this was in the information we got about this place."

Riley shrugs as she approaches her bags that had already been brought up to their room. "Well, it is a pretty high-end event. It's bound to be more structured and it makes sense why they wouldn't advertise the entire schedule to people who can't afford to be here."

"Yeah, I know. But having so many things to participate in just to keep our cover doesn't leave us many opportunities to do what we actually came here to do."

"We'll figure it out, we always do." She turns around to look at him. "What time is the mixer at?"

Mac looks down at the schedule again. "Uh...4:30?"

Riley glances at the clock on her phone. "Which means we've got roughly two hours. I'm gonna grab a shower real quick if you wanna do some...scoping," she says, making vague gestures around the room and toward the door. "When I get out I'll set my stuff up and get a few programs going."

He nods. "Okay."

She gives him a tight smile, grabs what she needs from her bag, and then makes her way to the en-suite bathroom. She closes the door and locks it behind her, setting her things down and standing in front of the sink. She rests her hands on the edge of the counter and looks at herself in the mirror, frowning deeply at her reflection staring back at her. How in the hell is she going to survive the rest of the night pretending to be engaged to Mac?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter! I honestly wasn't sure when to post the next chapter, but I'm just beyond excited for you to read this one so I decided to post while I have some time. It was so fun getting to write this from Mac's perspective, and I hope you all like what I have in store during this chapter. Be prepared, because it is sooo good.
> 
> Also, I felt we could all use a little pick-me-up before the crazy that's gonna go down in tonight's episode.
> 
> Enjoy!

Entering the sunroom with Riley on his arm, Mac clears his throat quietly and lets his eyes pass over the room, taking note of everyone and everything he sees; specifically, all the items he could use to make something if they find themselves in a bind. It's pretty much a guarantee that they'll end up in a sticky situation he has to get them out of, but he always prays that it won't come down to that.

"What's going on in that genius head of yours right now?"

He glances down to see Riley looking up at him with a small smile. He smiles back and shakes his head a little. "Uh, nothing. Just...thinking."

"Alright, well, since you're doing nothing, do you want to go and get us some drinks while I start mingling and try to get whatever information I can out of these people?"

"Of course." He slides his hand down her arm to grab her hand and lift it to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss there in case anyone is watching. He thinks he sees her breath catch but he shakes it off as just a trick of the lighting. "Anything in particular you'd like?" he asks, dropping her hand.

She shrugs. "Surprise me."

He nods as he slides his hands into his pockets. "Alright." He turns and strides over to the open bar sitting along one wall of the room, leaning against it and smiling politely at the man on the other side. "Hi. Two of whatever you recommend, please. My fiance asked me to come get drinks and suggested that I surprise her. She's the gorgeous brunette right over there," he says, turning against the counter to gesture over to where Riley is now standing with a small group of women, a smile on her face. He stands there for a moment watching her. Even though it's an op, and they're supposed to be gathering information and keeping their eyes out for the target, he can't help but smile at how carefree Riley looks. It's a really good look on her.

"Your drinks, sir."

He turns back to the bartender and gives him a grateful smile, grabbing up both glasses and then making his way across the room toward Riley. He takes a deep breath as he approaches, walking just inside Riley's peripheral so she sees him and doesn't get startled. "A drink as you requested, my dear," he speaks up as he gets closer.

She turns to him with a smile. "Thanks." She accepts the glass and takes a slow sip, her eyes going wide. "Wow. What is this?"

He chuckles. "I have absolutely no idea. You wanted to be surprised so I asked the bartender to make us whatever he chose. Do you like it?"

She nods. "It's amazing. Did you get the same?"

He lifts the glass and turns it a little to examine the contents, a slight furrow to his brows. "I think so." He smiles in a small victory when she laughs.

A throat clearing has them both turning to face the three women Riley had been talking to. They're all looking at him with sly smiles, two of them eyeing him up and down. Their combined looks send a shiver down his spine.

"Carly, don't tell us that this...gorgeous specimen of a man is your fiance," one of the women speaks up.

Riley smiles, wrapping an arm around his back and tilting her head to rest briefly against him. "Yes, he is. This is Derek. Derek, honey, this is Miranda, Colette, and Amy," she introduces, pointing at each woman as she does.

"Damn," Colette, the same woman who already spoke, says with a small shake of her head. "Where did you find a man like this?"

Mac ducks his head as a blush creeps up his cheeks, letting his arm wind around Riley's waist to pull her closer. Partially out of a need for the op, and partially because he feels a little more comfortable under these women's gaze with Riley as close as he can get her.

"We met through work," Riley responds, pulling details from their cover story that sticks as close to their actual story as much as possible. After all, it's much easier to have a cover story that matches your real story as much as it can so it's easier to remember the details when asked.

"It's a family business," he adds to Riley's remark. "My dad's the one who started it and after a few years of working there I took on a more active role in the company. Carly was recruited to help us with a very unfortunate cybersecurity issue we ran into a few years back and then thankfully she agreed to stay on after that and oversee things. We clicked from day one, an instant friendship."

Riley snorts. "Oh, honey, I wouldn't go that far. I wasn't sure about you those first few days. But I came around eventually, though."

He smiles. "Yes, you did. And my life's been better every single day because of it. You're my best friend and I can't believe I managed to have someone as amazing as you agree to be in my life forever. I'm the luckiest man in the world."

Okay, so maybe he might be laying it on a little thick, but they're supposed to be pretending like they're madly in love. So making such a sappy, romantic remark to his 'fiance' seemed like the perfect thing to do in the moment. And he thinks he catches Riley's cheeks flushing, so if they are, then that's an added bonus. Although, it does have him wondering why she'd be blushing like that if they're just playing. Unless she's just a really great actress. But even then, he doesn't know how anyone can make themselves blush on command.

He shakes the thought off, dropping a kiss to her temple for added effect to his words, and then turns back to the three women standing in front of them. "Apologies," he says with a small smile. "I didn't mean to get so sappy."

Amy shakes her head. "No, please, don't apologize. That was absolutely beautiful. Ugh. Seriously. More men need to be in touch with their emotions like that."

"Derek's always been a bit of a romantic," Riley chimes in. "Since right before we started dating I could tell."

Miranda grins. "Oh, do tell. We need details."

"I don't even know where to start. It's mostly the little things. Everything he's ever done and said to make me slowly fall in love with him."

"Well, you have to give us an example," Colette says. "You can't just leave us in suspense like that."

Mac's heart jumps a little when he hears Riley laugh. He's always counted it as a personal victory whenever he can make her laugh or smile. He listens attentively as she recounts a memory that he's not entirely sure is real or not. He guesses there might be some basis to it in the reality of the time they've known each other, but the way she's telling it, he can't be sure.

"Wow," Amy speaks up once Riley's finished her story. "You two really are a match made in heaven."

Mac smiles. "Our family's seem to think so too. Which is why dad's bankrolling the whole wedding. We thought we'd come here to get some ideas of what we want. There's no limit to what we can have, according to dad. Though I'm pretty sure he's only saying that because he wants Carly to have the wedding of her dreams."

"His dad's a sweetheart," Riley says, her eyes shining with a smile. "He and I bonded pretty quickly over how much we care about Derek. He told me once that he wished he'd had a daughter as well before his wife passed away, so I am more than happy to let him give me the wedding of my dreams if it'll make him feel better." She lets out another laugh, the corners of her eyes crinkling.

The other three women around them laugh as well, but Mac can only focus on Riley's laugh. He loves hearing her laugh, knowing that despite everything she's been through she's still able to be so happy. Even if it is just an op, he likes seeing her so carefree.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees movement, and his arm freezes around Riley's waist just for a moment when he turns his head and realizes that it's Desi. She's watching them carefully, and to anyone else, it would just look like a security guard keeping an eye on them. He's not entirely sure what to make of it, though. Because they're currently not together—she's the one who broke it off again too—and even if they were, they're on an op. He's just doing his job.

"Derek, honey, is everything okay?"

He turns back to Riley and feels the tension leave his body just by looking at her—he tucks that thought away for much later. He smiles. "I'm fine. But I think now's as good a time as any to talk with this place's security team about some things, so I'll be back in a few minutes." He drops a kiss to her temple for show before stepping away, passing his half-full drink glass to a passing waiter.

Taking a deep breath, he runs a hand down the front of his shirt to smooth out the fabric. He smiles when he reaches Desi, stopping right in front of her. "Hi."

"Hi," she says back, slightly stilted.

His brows furrow. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. But none of the people here have been identified as potential buyers. And I found out that the targets won't be here until tomorrow afternoon."

Mac nods in realization. "Which means we have to stay an extra day."

Desi nods sharply. "Yep. Think you can handle that?"

He waves her off. "I'll be fine. Riley and I got this."

"You two seem to be fitting in well with these people," she tells him, glancing around.

He shrugs. "It's all Riley." And it's the truth. Riley has done most of the talking and schmoozing. He's just following her lead and hoping that they can get what they need soon. The longer they have to stay undercover the more nervous he gets that something is going to go completely wrong. "Speaking of which, I should probably get back to her. But we'll talk later?"

Desi nods. "Yeah."

"Okay." He lets out a breath and then turns around to make his way back over to Riley, smiling politely at the people he passes. He catches Bozer's eye on his way, the other man still floating around and taking pictures of everyone.

Crossing the last few paces of the floor toward his 'fiance', Mac easily shifts back into his undercover persona, plastering a loving smile on his face as he approaches Riley from the side so she sees him. Once he's close enough he moves so he's behind her, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him in a hug, his hands settling over her lower abdomen. Her body stiffens for just a fraction of a second before relaxing again.

"How'd it go with the security guard?" Riley asks him, tilting her head back to look at him, one of her hands resting on his.

He shrugs. "It was fine. I asked her if she knew if the people who run this event are here because I know how much you've been dying to meet them. Apparently, they won't be here until tomorrow."

Understanding passes across Riley's face. She frowns in character. "That's too bad. I was really hoping to meet them today."

"I know you were, so was I. Guess we'll just have to wait a little longer."

She sighs heavily, bringing her head back down. "Guess so."

He swallows, doing his best to ignore how adorable Riley was just a moment ago looking at him like that. He pushes it far, far back in his head. He has no time to unpack that right now.

.

.

.

"I can take the floor," Mac says as soon as he closes the door of their room behind them. He takes a few steps into the room and looks at Riley carefully. "That way you can have the bed. I'm sure it's much more comfortable than the floor."

"So then why are you going to sleep on it?" she asks, crossing the room to her bag and digging through it.

He shifts on his feet. "Uh, I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable sharing the same bed."

She glances at him over her shoulder and snickers. "It's just a bed, Mac." She turns around fully to face him. "I don't mind. Honest. We're both adults, both professionals. We can handle it. You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor if it's going to be as uncomfortable as you think it is."

He hesitates, swallows, and then nods. "Uh, okay. If you...if you really don't mind."

She smiles softly. "I don't." She breathes deeply and then gestures over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go change."

He nods. "Right, yeah. I'll check in with Matty."

She nods and then disappears into the bathroom, the door closing behind her with a soft click.

Turning around, Mac pulls his phone out and immediately dials the number for the Phoenix, holding the device up to his ear. The call connects a moment later and he slowly begins pacing.

" _You better have good news for me, Blondie."_

He sighs heavily. "Unfortunately, no. Apparently, the targets won't be here until tomorrow, so we're gonna have to stay an extra night and hopefully figure out our next move after that."

" _Okay. Do you have any idea where the information might be located?"_

"Again, no. Desi and Bozer have both done a few sweeps but haven't found any possibilities. There's an office, but it was locked. It could be in there, so I'll find a time tomorrow to get in there and search for the information. I'd do it tonight if I had more of an idea of what the security's like."

" _Good. I don't like you guys having to be in there longer than you need to be. So be quick tomorrow, find the information and then get out of there."_

He nods. "We will, Matty." He hears the bathroom door open and turns around, smiling softly at Riley. "I'm gonna go now, Matty, but we'll check in tomorrow."

" _Alright. Talk tomorrow."_

He pulls the phone away from his ear and ends the call, setting the device down on the nightstand next to the bed. "Matty said to be quick tomorrow finding the information. She doesn't like us being here for too long."

"That makes two of us," Riley replies, a look on her face that he can't decipher. "Bathroom's free," she tells him, gesturing to the door.

He nods. "Great, thanks." He grabs his belongings and makes his way into the bathroom, closing the door tightly behind him.

As soon as he turns around, he's assaulted by what he thinks is the scent of coconut mixed with something else that he can't quite put his finger on. It takes him another second to realize that it's because of Riley, probably some kind of body lotion or other beauty product.

He doesn't know why the thought makes him smile. But it does. Maybe it's because they haven't shared a bathroom since she lived with him right after Aubrey broke up with her. Maybe it's because he's missed spending time with Riley outside of work and is happy to have this time with her, even if it is just for a mission. She's been pulling away from him recently and he doesn't know why. He wishes he did, and sometimes he's thought about asking her so that he can know. He just hasn't been able to find the right time. But maybe once this whole op is over he can finally ask her what's going on. He needs to know if he's the one who did something wrong to push her away without realizing it. He doesn't know if he'd be able to forgive himself if he did something inadvertently to hurt her.

.

.

.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Mac deposits his clothes from the day back into his bag and crosses over to the bed. Riley's already made herself comfortable on it, the lower half of her body buried under the comforter and her tablet propped up in her lap.

"You seem awfully cozy," he remarks as he gets closer to the bed.

She glances up at him. "This bed is amazing, Mac. I need to find out what kind of mattress this is so I can get one for my place."

"Trouble sleeping?" he asks curiously as he pulls back the covers of the bed.

She shrugs. "Not really. You know me, I'm a bit of a night owl. But this mattress is amazing and I'd probably consider going to bed earlier if I had one."

Mac chuckles as he climbs into the bed. "No, you wouldn't."

She tilts her head. "Yeah, no, I wouldn't."

They share a laugh and he can't help but think about how easy it is to pretend with Riley. They're already such good friends, already so comfortable around each other—even if she has been a little distant lately. They've only been here less than a day and he feels like he's put in zero effort into pretending to be Riley's fiancé, it's just been so easy right from the get-go.

Letting out a heavy breath, Mac files that information away to unpack at a later time. He can't deal with that right now.

"Wow," he remarks as he settles himself under the covers, his head coming to rest on the pillow. He turns a little to look at Riley. "You're right. This mattress is amazing."

She smirks. "Told you."

He laughs and nods. "Yes, you did." He takes a deep breath and lets his body relax into the mattress, his eyes slowly fluttering closed. He opens them again when there's a knock at the door. He tilts his head just enough to look up at Riley. "Can you get that?"

She quirks an eyebrow. "Why can't you? You're technically closer to the door."

He shrugs. "I'm already comfortable."

"And you think I'm not?"

He opens his mouth to say something else but then she's tossing her tablet on top of his stomach and pushing the covers off her body.

She gives him a pointed look as she crosses the carpet. "You're answering the next one."

He smiles. "Sure thing." He chuckles quietly to himself as he sets her tablet back on the side of the bed she'd already claimed and then turns in the direction of the door as she's opening it. "Honey, who's at the door?"

"Relax, Mac," she says as she approaches him, gesturing over her shoulder, "it's just Desi."

He blinks. "Oh. Hey." His brows furrow slightly when he sees Riley lean back against one of the walls, barely looking at him. He focuses on Desi instead, figuring she's there for a reason. "What's going on?"

Desi shifts. "I spoke to some of the full-time security guards. They have someone stationed outside that office door when the owners are inside. When they aren't, it's just periodic passing sweeps."

Mac nods. "Okay. Any idea how often that happens?"

"No."

"That's okay," Riley speaks up. "If Desi's willing to place a few small cameras in that hallway tonight, I can write a quick program to determine how much time passes between sweeps."

Mac smiles at Riley's words. The way she talks about writing a complicated program like it's the easiest thing on the planet. Though, he supposes, for her it is. It's like second nature.

The sound of the door closing pulls him back to the present and his brows furrow tightly as he glances around the room. "Where's Desi?"

Riley shrugs as she crosses toward the bed, grabbing her laptop on the way. "She left to go put the cameras in place. You were kinda...zoned out," she tells him, climbing back onto the bed and pulling the blankets back over her legs as she puts her tablet on the side table and settles her laptop in her lap. "What had your mind so preoccupied?"

He swallows, shifting on the bed. "Oh, uh, nothing really." He takes a deep breath. "Did Desi say anything I should know about?"

Riley shakes her head. "Nah. Just the usual checking to make sure we're safe and all that since our comms aren't working here, which really sucks, by the way."

He nods. "Oh. Okay. Are you gonna stay up for a bit?"

She nods, her eyes focused on the screen of her laptop. "Yeah. Gotta set up the program for the cameras."

"Okay. Want me to stay up with you and keep you company?" He lets out a yawn a second later, his eyes closing. When he opens them again, he sees Riley watching him with a smile, clearly fighting back a laugh. "What?"

"Go to sleep, Mac. I won't be up for that much longer. An hour, tops. Then I'll go to sleep too."

"Promise?"

She nods with a small smile. "Promise."

Another yawn escapes him and this time he dissolves into quiet laughter with Riley. "Okay, okay. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, Riles."

"Night, Mac."

Shifting on the bed, he turns onto his side facing away from Riley, curling one arm underneath his pillow, and breathing deeply. The quiet, rhythmic tapping of the laptop keys mixed with the familiar scent of coconut helps lull him into a deep slumber. And he finds himself thinking that he wouldn't mind this particular situation happening again. Just maybe under slightly different circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with the next chapter for this little story! So glad you were all excited to see how this chapter was gonna start after how the last one ended. And I feel like after what happened during Friday's episode, this is going to be a little like icing on the cake for all of us MacRiley shippers. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Breathing deeply, Riley slowly comes back into consciousness but keeps her eyes closed, allowing herself a few more moments to enjoy the quiet now that the alarm from her phone isn't blaring. It's rare that they spend more than a day in a place for an op. And if they do, they're not usually staying in such a nice place, or sleeping all night, for that matter.

Looking down when she tries to move but is stopped by an unfamiliar weight, she's met with a very familiar arm wrapped securely around her waist. His hand is barely up brushing against the patch of her skin that's been exposed from where her shirt had ridden up at some point during the night. She'd tried to dress a little more conservatively for bed, knowing that she'd be sleeping in the same room as Mac—she'd desperately tried to ignore the idea of sharing a bed with him until the last possible minute—but it didn't help in the slightest. She somehow feels even less clothed in this position, despite wearing slightly longer sleep shorts and a t-shirt instead of her usual tank top.

Her body is overheating in every spot their skin is making contact, so she tries to pull away again. She needs to get away from him and cool herself down and not think about how amazing it'd be to fall asleep in his arms every night and wake up in them every morning. She can't think about any of that right now, can't think about him like that.

But as she slowly starts to move, Mac's arm tightens around her just the slightest bit, pulling her body flush against his again. She sucks in a sharp breath at the way his face nuzzles against her neck and she curses herself internally for almost letting herself get lost in the feeling. All the more reason for her to get out of his hold as quickly as possible.

Realizing that she won't be able to extract herself quickly and quietly like she'd planned, she lets out a small breath and turns her head to look behind her. She pauses, taking in how cute Mac looks like this, completely asleep and not dealing with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He's been through so much recently that it's nice to see him in a moment of peace, even if he is asleep.

She resists the urge to run her fingers through his hair, clearing her throat and forcing her mind to focus.

"Mac," she says quietly. "Mac, hey, get up."

He stirs, letting out a small groan that sends a shiver through her body, but he doesn't wake up.

She reaches up to gently shake his arm, hoping it'll have more of an effect. "Mac," she says a little louder, giving his arm another quick shake.

He jerks awake, his eyes opening but still clouded in sleep, and his arm tightening around her again. "Wha…?" His brows furrow tightly together as he looks at her. "Riley?"

She pulls her lips in tight. "Morning. Could you…" she trails off, gesturing to the arm still wrapped around her.

That seems to wake him up the rest of the way, his eyes going wide. "Oh!" He pulls his arm off and scoots over on the bed. "Sorry."

She pushes down how much she misses having his arm around her and gives him a small smile. "It's okay. No harm done." Externally, yes, no harm was done. But inside, her heart is aching, knowing that at the end of all this, she won't be the one who gets to curl up next to him and just be there. "We, uh, we should probably get ready, though."

He nods, pushing himself up so he's sitting back against the headboard. "Right." He lets out a yawn. "I'm surprised I wasn't awake before you. I don't usually sleep for very long. Though, if I'm being honest, that was probably some of the best sleep I've had in a long time."

Her mind flashes to just moments ago when he'd been holding her as close as he possibly could, her heart swelling just a little.

"This mattress truly is incredible."

Her heart deflates. She knew that was probably the reason why, but it doesn't make the aching in her heart lessen. It's still there. She lets out a small laugh. "Right. I'm gonna jump in the shower. What time is breakfast?" she asks, tossing the blanket off her body to climb out and refusing to look at Mac just yet. She needs another minute or two to pull herself together.

"Uh...looks like...looks like it starts at eight-thirty."

She nods, barely glancing at him over her shoulder. "Okay. I'll be quick so you can use it too if you want." She doesn't wait for his response, moving quickly to grab her bag and then head into the bathroom. Since they didn't know what to expect from this op, they packed a few different styles of outfits to be on the safe side, but she doesn't know which of those she's going to wear to breakfast. And she knows she wouldn't be able to be in that room any longer with Mac right there in the bed, knowing what it feels like to be in his arms like that.

It's not a feeling she's entirely unfamiliar with, having Mac's arms around her for one reason or another, though it's usually because of an op. But this time was much different. There was no imminent threat or adrenalin pumping, it was just them.

Running a hand through her hair, Riley lets out a heavy breath and then turns on the shower. She quickly strips out of her pajamas, shoves them into her bag, and then steps into the warm water, letting it cascade over her body.

She pulls the door closed behind her and then leans sideways against the wall right below the showerhead, her eyes drifting down to stare at the floor. She hates that it hurts so much, that having Mac so close but knowing it can't ever be like that is driving her to be the girl who cries in the shower. But she can't help it that she loves him. It's the easiest thing she's ever done.

.

.

.

Securing the last elastic band around the end of her braid, Riley tosses it over her shoulder and checks her reflection in the portable vanity mirror she brought along with her. A good idea, too, since Mac's currently in the bathroom showering and she needed to do her hair and makeup. If they actually were a couple she'd probably be doing all of this in the bathroom while he showered. But they aren't. So she isn't.

Looking up from her place on the bed when the bathroom door opens, she sucks in a sharp breath. He's only wearing blue jeans and a fitted tee, but somehow he still looks like the most handsome man on the planet. Of course, it could be because she's in love with him, but still, it's not fair that he gets to look like that all the time.

"You almost ready?"

She swallows thickly and nods, plastering a smile on her face. "Yeah."

He smiles. "Great."

Riley turns back to the mirror in front of her and checks herself over once more. She's beyond grateful that breakfast is not a formal occasion of any kind, allowing her to wear her usual attire of jeans and a t-shirt. Of course, she's a little more dressed up than she normally is, but that's all thanks to the role she's playing. But she is much more comfortable in these clothes around Mac right now than she would be in a fancy gown. The less exposed she feels, the better.

Once they're both ready to go down to breakfast, they head out of the room, the door locking with a soft click behind them. Mac's hand grabs hers immediately, their fingers lacing together perfectly. Her heart leaps in her chest and she gives his hand a small squeeze.

He smiles down at her, that beautiful smile that reaches all the way up into his eyes and lights up his entire face. Every time he looks at her like that she finds herself falling for him a little more. Just like she is now. And she can almost forget that they're on an op right now, imagining what if her life could be like this all the time, holding hands with Mac so casually.

And then she sees Desi just down the hall, easily fulfilling her role as a security guard, and it's like someone's poured a bucket of ice water over her. Her face falls and she extracts her hand from Mac's, ignoring the confused look he directs her way.

Desi gives her a quick look and then shifts on her feet. "The targets are here," she tells them. "They arrived earlier than planned. And they brought a laptop with them. It's in their office right now."

Riley nods along. "That must be where all of their sales information is, no wonder you and Bozer weren't able to find anything yesterday. I can try accessing it remotely while we're at breakfast. Gotta keep up appearances, right?" she tries to joke.

The edges of Mac's lip barely twitch. "Right." He takes a deep breath and grabs her hand again, looking at her with a smile. "Time for breakfast, Carly."

As they walk past Desi, she manages to catch sight of Mac's arm brushing up against Desi's and it takes everything she has to keep herself together. Desi's his actual girlfriend. Deep down she knows it's true, even if she thinks he deserves better than an on-again-off-again relationship, but it doesn't mean she hates having to remind herself of it.

When they finally reach the dining hall, it's already filled with the other couples attending the retreat, everyone sitting around the various tables and chatting each other up. Mac finds them a table easily enough and pulls her along behind him, the smells of the different breakfast foods available already making her stomach rumble.

Mac chuckles in front of her.

Her brows furrow. "What?"

He glances over his shoulder at her with a small smile. "Nothing. I just...I heard your stomach rumble." He stops walking when they reach the table and turns around to look at her. "You must be starving."

"I am feeling pretty peckish."

"Well then allow me to go get us a couple of plates of food."

"You think I can't get my own food?" she asks him teasingly, raising one brow.

He chuckles. "No, I know you can. But I wouldn't be a very good fiancé if I didn't at least offer to do it for you. Have to start racking up those husband points now, don't I?"

She laughs quietly and nods. "Alright, I see your logic."

"I'm glad you do." He leans forward to quickly kiss her cheek. "I'll be right back."

Left standing in the wake of feeling his lips against her skin, she hopes that from afar it looks like she's admiring him walking away instead of being shell-shocked. She can't remember him ever kissing her cheek like that. Not even when they pretended to be married during an op that feels like forever ago.

Praying that she's not blushing, she turns toward the table and lowers herself into one of the chairs, scooting it closer to the table. She needs enough cover to use her phone to try and gain access to the laptop in the office without being seen.

"Carly, I'm so glad to see you again."

Looking up, she smiles across the table at the woman she met the day before. "Colette, hi. How are you?"

"I'm good. Where'd Derek go?"

"Oh, he went to get breakfast for the both of us. He loves doting on me whenever the opportunity arises. Part of the reason I fell in love with him."

Colette smiles. "That's so sweet. I can really see the love coming off of you two whenever you're together, and I just gotta say, I don't know if I've ever seen anyone look at each other the way you two do. It's like no one else is even in the room."

Riley swallows, not sure how to feel about the remark. She knows it's supposed to be a compliment, but she can't help but feel a little weird. Are her true feelings for Mac shining through the cover way too much? Obviously, Mac's playing the cover right if Colette thinks he's in love with her.

She plasters a smile onto her face. "Well, it's pretty easy to love him. He's my best friend and I know I can always count on him for anything, even before we got together."

Colette sighs wistfully. "Wow. You two...I swear...Derek! You've got yourself a pretty incredible woman here."

Riley hadn't even realized Mac was approaching the table again, but now she's fully aware of him standing behind her. A plate appears in front of her and then Mac's sitting beside her, setting his own plate on the table.

"Colette, you're telling me something I've known since the day I met her," he says with a bright smile. "The things this woman can do with a computer...she continues to amaze me every single day."

She feels the heat rush to her cheeks the second Mac looks at her with that blinding smile. He's really laying it on thick and it's driving her crazy. She can't blame him, though, he doesn't know about her feelings for him. And if he did, would he still be acting like this for the cover? Or would he pull back to allow her some room to breathe?

They chat with the other couples at their table throughout breakfast, and she uses the opportunity to try and access the target's laptop. If she wasn't as skilled as she is, then she might not be able to attempt this hack with only one hand. Thankfully, she is.

Soon enough, breakfast is finished, they're all being ushered out into the courtyard, and she hasn't made any progress with her hack. Which is frustrating as it is, but now they have to stay longer and continue this act.

"You okay?" Mac asks, one of his hands coming to rest on her back as they walk.

She nods. "Yeah. I just couldn't access the laptop remotely. I'm gonna have to get in there physically."

He lets out a breath, glancing around. "Okay. So we need to find a way to get to that office."

"How can we do that?" she questions, following the dozens of other couples toward the circle of chairs set up on the lawn.

"I'll think of something. You trust me, right?"

She looks up at him then, giving him a soft smile. "Mac, of course, I do." She rests a hand on his back too. "Sorry if I seem a little...off."

He smiles gently. "No need to apologize, Riles. We all get a little weird on ops sometimes. The important thing is that we keep doing what we need to do to find that information and take these people down."

She nods. "Right, yeah. And in the meantime, we play the part." She glances toward the circle. "Even if that includes whatever weird-ass nonsense this is gonna be."

She laughs with him as they move closer to the circle, his hand still on her back as he guides her to one of the chairs. She sits down and then shoots him a slightly confused look when he pulls his chair closer to hers, the smile still on her face. "What are you doing?"

He shrugs. "What? What kind of engaged man wants there to be any kind of space between him and his woman?"

She laughs quietly and nods. "Very smooth."

He smiles. "Thank you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the same woman from the last few events approaching the center of the circle. She has the brightest smile on her face, her hands clasped together in front of her, and her eyes drift from couple to couple.

"Welcome, everyone," the woman says. "I hope you all enjoyed your breakfast. We have so many lovely couples here, and so many beautiful stories, I'm sure. And I don't know about all of you, but I would love to hear those stories. So what we're going to do now is go around the circle, and I want each of you to share how you met or when you knew you loved the other, or even the proposal story. Proposal stories are a personal favorite of mine." The woman turns and walks to the final empty chair in the circle and addresses the couple to her right. "If you could start, please, and state your names as well for the rest of the group."

Riley only half-listens to each of the couples as they share their stories. Her mind is still running, trying to think of when the best time would be to get to the office. She doesn't see the owners in attendance at this event, so it's possible they're currently in their office. Which would make trying to get there right now pointless.

She's also very aware of how close she and Mac are sitting, which doesn't help her nerves any. Having him so close to her, but only for an op, it's only confusing her heart even more. Because sometimes it feels so real, when he's holding her hand, or hugging her from behind, or saying sweet words to her. But then she remembers that it's all an act, that he's just playing a part, and at the end of all this he'll go back to Desi. And she has to learn to be okay with that.

A slight nudge to her ribs has her whipping her head to her right. "What?"

Mac gives her a small smile. "Carly, honey, it's our turn."

Her eyes go wide. "Oh!" She looks at the group and smiles sheepishly. "Sorry. Guess I got a little lost in my head for a minute there." She shifts in her seat and plasters her usual smile into place. "Hi. I'm Carly, and this is my fiance Derek." She gestures to Mac. "I think for me, when I knew I loved him, it just sort of crept up on me over time until hitting me one day how I felt. Being such good friends with him for so long, I realized that it was all the little things about him that made me fall for him as hard as I had. I just knew that I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life." She gives Mac a small smile.

He smiles back, then clears his throat and turns to the crowd. "Uh, I don't think anyone wants to hear mine."

Her smile falters. "It's okay, Derek," she encourages him with a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be shy now." She addresses the group with a teasing smile. "He has a bit of stage fright, doesn't like talking in front of large crowds and sharing personal—"

"In the kitchen during the quarantine."

Riley whips her head back to look at Mac, her eyes slightly wide. She remembers that moment very clearly, remembers how badly she had wanted to confess her feelings to him right then and there sitting on the kitchen floor. Just to get it off her chest and finally say aloud the words she'd been trying so hard to fight against. But she knew he was still working through things with Desi so she didn't want to rock that boat and risk ruining her friendship with Mac.

She shoots him a confused look, wondering exactly what he's playing at with all of this. She'd been expecting him to share the proposal story they'd come up with on the ride to the venue.

Mac clears his throat, shifting a little in his seat. "We uh, we ended up in quarantine together during the COVID pandemic. She'd been staying with me for a few weeks and was planning on moving out, but then the pandemic happened, so she was stuck there longer than she planned. It was about a month or so in, and I was cleaning the dishes, and she offered to help me. I dropped a glass and it shattered, so we ended up sitting on the floor talking." He casts a quick glance at her before looking away.

"Mac…" she whispers.

He gives a slight shake of his head but doesn't look at her. "It was really nice being able to just sit there and talk, there aren't many people I can do that with. But she's very easy to talk to, no matter the time of day or what we're doing." The edges of his lips quirk up. "Like this one night when she brought me takeout after we both had a rough time earlier in the night, and we just stayed up for hours talking. About anything and everything we could think of. We were up pretty late and she ended up crashing on the couch, fell asleep on me while I was in the middle of telling her a story." He lets out a small laugh, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"But that day in the kitchen, just the two of us sitting there...I was watching her and that's when I realized that I was starting to feel more for her than just friendship. But I was scared of my feelings. So I didn't say anything. We kept having those late-night takeout dinners whenever we could, though, just the two of us. It took a little longer for us to get together after that, but when we did, it was like we'd been together forever. Nothing really changed between us, except I can hold her hand and kiss her whenever I want to now." He chuckles, a few of the others around them laughing too.

Riley stares at him with tears shining in her eyes. To anyone else, it might look like she's in love with him and loves the sweet way he spoke about that day. And they'd be right. Because she's very much feeling both of those things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Also...who's still freaking out over the latest episode? I've watched those three scenes so many times since the episode aired. This is a great time to be alive for a MacRiley shipper. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with another new chapter! Told myself I was going to space out the updating of this story like I usually do for multi-chaptered fics, but I was way too excited about posting this one. It's from Mac's perspective and there is a...moment somewhere in here. A moment that I personally loved putting in here. Well, I guess you could say that there a couple of smaller moments throughout, but one big moment in particular toward the end of the chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Mac fidgets with the bowtie wrapped around his neck, trying to get it to sit straight, but for the life of him, he can't get it to. It keeps sitting slightly askew. It probably doesn't help that he's trying to use the camera from his phone as a mirror but it's just not doing the trick.

"Hey, Mac, you just about ready to go?" Riley calls from inside the bathroom.

"Uh, yeah, almost. You?"

"Think so. Just need to get my shoes on. What do you think of my dress? I wasn't too sure about it at first but I think it's finally starting to grow on me."

Mac lets his head follow the sound of Riley's footsteps across the carpet, turning in her direction. His breath catches in his throat when he sees her, his jaw dropping open just the slightest.

She's gorgeous, to say the least. Of course, he always knew she was beautiful from the day he met her. But something's different about this time and he can't exactly put his finger on why. She's wearing a dark red dress that hugs her body in all the right places, a slightly plunging neckline, knee-length hem, and a cutout patch of fabric on one side leaving very little to the imagination. She's done something different to her hair too, it's no longer pulled back into simple braids like it had been earlier. It's now curled tightly and pulled up into a tight bun on top of her head, a few loose pieces hanging down to frame her face. It's reminiscent of when they first met, and it makes him think about how far they've come since then.

He must have zoned out again because she calls his name a few times to get his attention. "Wow," he breathes out, slowly standing. "You look...amazing."

She glances down momentarily and then looks back up at him with a small smile. "Thanks. You don't look half bad yourself. Of course, you might look a little better if your bowtie was sitting straight."

He chuckles and nods. "I know. I've tried, but for some reason, I can't get it to sit right. I swear I haven't had this problem before."

She gestures at the bowtie. "Do you mind?"

He shifts, clearing his throat. "Uh, no, yeah, sure. Go ahead."

She moves closer and reaches up to readjust his bowtie.

He tilts his head back just enough to allow Riley more access to his tie, his eyes drifting up to the ceiling and his hands finding their way into his pockets. He curls his hands into tight fists, forcing his brain to stop thinking about how close Riley's standing to him, and how easy it would be to just wrap his arms around her and hold her close. But he doesn't know how she'd react to that and they still have a job to do.

"There, all done."

He looks back down at the woman in front of him, swallowing thickly. "Thanks."

"No problem," she says, smiling and patting him lightly on the chest before stepping away. "Should we go?

He shakes his head a little to clear away any intrusive thoughts. "Uh, yeah, right." He lets a smile grow on his lips as he holds his arm out. "Dinner awaits us."

Riley loops her arm through his and then gently pulls him along beside her toward the door. "You have my stuff, right?" she asks him as they walk.

He nods, gently patting his jacket right where her tablet and cord are tucked away safely in the inside pocket. "Yes, I do."

"Good." She takes a deep, shaky breath.

Mac frowns a little, his eyebrows just barely knitting together as he looks down at her. "Hey, you okay?"

She nods quickly. "I'm fine. We just don't have a very big window of getting into the office and accessing the computer."

"Well, we've definitely been up against worse odds," he reminds her easily as they move through the hallway toward the dining room. He wasn't too thrilled about having to dress up a little nicer for dinner, but it's for the op so he has to do it. Thankfully they both thought to pack some fancier clothes. "We've got this, Riles." He smiles down at her. "You and me."

She smiles back but doesn't say anything more as they keep walking.

As they get closer to the dining room, Mac lets his mind wander, thinking about how they're going to get away so they can get to the office. This is their last chance to get there, only a few hours before the targets leave again. They'd both wanted to try earlier, after the event out on the lawn, but they never had a chance. It was mandatory that they attend all the little seminars about wedding planning, were even forced to take notes for their own use later on.

He and Riley had a few good laughs throughout, cracking jokes about the crazy lengths people will go to for a wedding. How some people will have the most extravagant wedding just because they can. And then she'd told him that if she gets married one day, she doesn't want all the crazy bells and whistles that most people have., doesn't want an expensive venue that seats hundreds of people. That all she needs is a beautiful dress, her closest friends and family in attendance, and someone to officiate.

He would have responded but they got caught and reprimanded by the woman speaking. So they stayed quiet for the rest of the seminars, but it didn't stop his mind from imagining Riley in a wedding dress. He knows she'll look incredible in whatever style of dress she decides to wear.

Upon reaching the dining room, they're immediately shown to an assigned table off to the side already filled with a few other couples. Thankfully, the table is close enough to the doors that they might be able to get out easier later without causing too much of a disturbance. As soon as they can find an opening to get up and leave, with an excuse that won't leave room for questioning, they'll be gone.

"Well, I think this is fate, you two sitting with us again."

Mac smiles at the woman on the other side of the table as he pulls Riley's chair out for her. "Colette, how nice to see you again." He sits down in his own chair, sliding it a little closer to Riley's. "How has your day been?"

Colette grins. "Oh, it's been absolutely wonderful. Those seminars earlier were so helpful. I didn't realize how much actually goes into planning a wedding. I'm definitely roping some of my girlfriends back home into helping me."

"That sounds like a great idea," Riley chimes in. "I'll have to consider doing that too. The more hands helping out, the better, right?"

Colette nods, lifting her drink glass. "Here here."

They all delve into idle chatter after that and Mac takes the opportunity to look around the room again. He sees Bozer wandering around taking photos again, being his usual charming self whenever he photographs one of the couples. Then he spots Desi in one of the far corners keeping watch. She must not have been able to get on the detail that's watching the office like they'd hoped she would. It would have made getting in there a little easier if they timed it right. So now they're going to have to be much more careful.

.

.

.

Quickly making their way down the hallway—they'd finally managed to slip out when everyone else was heading to the bar for drinks after dinner finished—Mac keeps a steady hand on Riley's back to guide her as she watches the camera feed on her phone. They need to time things just right with the security sweeps so they don't get caught.

When they reach the correct hallway, he steps away from Riley to move closer to the door while she settles herself leaning against the wall next to him. He takes a moment to examine the lock, thinking about the best way to get inside the office. It shouldn't take him very long, seeing as it's just a standard door lock, but, unfortunately, he doesn't have anything on hand to pick it with. Which would be just his luck.

Turning his head a few times to search for something he can use, he stops when his eyes land on Riley. Or, more specifically, her hairdo. He has no doubt she has a few bobby pins tucked in there to keep her hair up.

"How we looking?" he asks as he takes a small step toward her, his hands reaching for her hair.

"Pretty good," Riley tells him, her eyes glued to the screen of her phone. "If these guys stick to the—whoa." She leans away just a bit, raising a brow at him. "What are you doing?"

"I need a bobby pin for the lock. Well, two, actually."

She sighs and reaches into her hair, pulling two out and handing them to him with a small smile. "Next time just ask, Mac."

He smiles. "Right. I was just—"

"I know," she cuts him off. "And you're lucky I won't hold it against you. Now hurry up."

He nods. "Yes ma'am."

Her face scrunches up in that way it always does that he suddenly finds extremely adorable. "Please don't call me that."

Mac chuckles. "Won't happen again." He turns to the door and kneels in front of it, unbending one of the bobby pins and stripping off the rubber end. He quickly pulls out his pocket knife and uses the pliers to bend the other still-closed bobby pin into an L-shape.

He puts his knife away and then slides the bobby pins into the lock and begins maneuvering the thinner one up and down while holding the other in place as leverage.

"Uh, hey Mac?"

He barely glances up. "Yeah?"

"We've got some company."

"I thought they weren't supposed to be coming by yet."

She shakes her head. "They weren't. Which means we need to think of something fast so this guy doesn't ask any questions when he comes around that corner and finds us."

Mac sighs as he stands up, sliding the bobby pins into his pocket as he turns toward his friend. "I might have an idea. But I don't want you to hate me after."

Riley's brows furrow tightly together. "What? Mac, you know you can't do anything to make me hate you."

"Well, we're about to test that theory," he says, glancing down at her phone to see the guard getting closer to where they are. And that's the only way out of this area. Which means their only choice is a distraction of some sort. And he wasn't lying when he said he had an idea. He also wasn't lying when he said he doesn't want Riley to hate him after. The last thing he wants to do is ruin their friendship.

Riley's brows raise in his direction. "Any chance you're going to let me in on your—"

Mac doesn't let her finish, cutting her off gently the only way he can think of that makes sense for their current undercover operation; he kisses her. He steps directly in front of her, cups the back of her neck to tilt her head back, and plants his lips firmly on hers.

At first, he's afraid he's made a huge mistake, that even though this is part of their cover he might have gone too far and things will only be weird between them from now on. So he starts to pull away, an apology already forming in his mind.

But then she's kissing him back, her lips pressing harder against his. Her phone lands on the carpet with a soft thud as her hands grip the front of his shirt to pull him closer.

So he takes another step into her personal space, their bodies now mere centimeters away from each other. His free hand falls to her waist and grips it tightly, causing Riley to gasp against his mouth.

His mind is swimming as he kisses her, his senses on overload. Having her so close, breathing in the familiar aroma of coconut, and feeling her skin so smooth and warm beneath the rough pads of his fingers, it's enough to make him forget about everything. Kissing her is unlike anything else in the world, something he didn't realize he wanted to experience until it was already happening. But now that it's happening he doesn't want it to stop. Call him selfish for never wanting this to end. He'll happily claim that title.

Using his body to push hers further back against the wall, he lets his hand fall from her neck to her waist, and then both hands slowly slide down to her hips, gripping her tighter. Mac can't help the groan that escapes as he's kissing Riley, one of her hands wrapping around the back of his neck to pull him down even closer to her, a pleasant warmth blossoming beneath her palm and spreading all across his skin.

He's about to break away, to start placing kisses along her jawline when a throat clearing nearby stops him and forces him back into reality. And it's probably good, too. Because he'd just been making out with his best friend and was well on his way to crossing another line that can't be uncrossed.

Pulling away from Riley, he takes quick note of her flushed cheeks and rapid breathing and then turns his attention toward the guard. "Yes?"

"This hallway is off-limits."

Mac tosses the man a smile. "Apologies. We were just looking for somewhere quiet."

The man smirks and nods. "Hey, I get it." The man's eyes dart between him and Riley before settling on him. "Next round's in fifteen. Have fun." The man tosses him a wink and then turns around to make his way back down the hall and around the corner away from them.

Once the man is gone, Mac looks back at Riley, her eyes focused on the floor and her arms crossed over her midsection, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. He goes to touch her again, to just brush her arm to get her attention, but then he remembers why they're in the hallway in the first place.

So he takes a deep breath and steps back to the door, pulling the bobby pins from his pocket and kneeling down. He makes quick work of the lock, the door swinging opening with ease.

Riley nearly runs into him as he stands up. She shoots off a mumbled apology, pulls her tech from his jacket pocket, and then moves into the office. She settles herself behind the desk at the other end of the room, booting up her tablet and connecting it to the laptop that is thankfully right there in the open and dialing the Phoenix on her phone.

He steps into the room after her, pushing the door closed quietly, and then goes to stand near her as she works. He frowns when she shifts away from him just the slightest, her fingers pausing for a split moment before flying fast across the keys again.

"Is it there?" he asks her once he can see that she's gotten inside the computer's system. If it were anyone else, they might not recognize it, but he's been working around Riley long enough now to identify certain things related to computers.

She nods, barely looking up at him. "Yeah. It's here. All of it. Matty, I'm copying it to my tablet right now and sending it over. It's gonna take a few minutes, though."

" _Copy that, Riley. I've got a Phoenix team already headed your way."_

"Hopefully this thing will be done before the next round of security shows up," Riley remarks offhandedly as she taps a few more keys after ending the phone call.

Mac nods, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, let's hope so." He shifts on his feet, swallowing and sliding his hands into the pockets of his pants. "While, uh, while we're waiting, maybe we could talk about what happened in the hallway."

"Don't worry, Mac, I know it was just for the op." She turns a little in her chair and gives him a tight smile. "Try not to stress out about it, okay? I meant what I said out there, I could never hate you." She looks as if she's going to say something more, but then her mouth snaps shut and she focuses back on the computer screen in front of her.

Brows furrowed together tightly, Mac takes a few steps back. Riley doesn't typically act like this around him, doesn't shy away from him when they're in close proximity. If anything, she usually leans a little closer to him, but he's not entirely sure if she knows she does it. Maybe he'll have to bring it up at some point. Unless that just makes things awkward later between them if she doesn't know that she does it.

But there's a part of him that needs to know why she moved away from him. Maybe he did do something wrong by kissing her earlier in the hallway. Maybe he let the kiss drag on for too long. But in the heat of the moment, his mind was consumed with only thoughts of Riley, and he'd be lying if he said he isn't starting to think about what it would be like to kiss her again. To feel more of her skin beneath his hands, to feel her lips on his again, to hear her gasping and moaning.

Before his thoughts can fall too deep into that rabbit hole, he's interrupted by the door opening. His head shoots up, eyes going wide when he sees the two people standing in the doorway, a man and woman dressed elegantly from head to toe and deep scowls on their faces. The very same two people they're currently trying to take down by getting their sales information.

"What are you two doing in here? Get away from there." The woman moves toward the computer, her hands going for Riley instead of the laptop.

Mac's jaw clenches and he reaches out to grab the woman's wrists before she gets any further. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her."

The woman throws a punch which Mac expertly dodges, and then, unfortunately, he gets pulled into a full-on brawl with her. It's clear that she has no fight training, but it doesn't stop her from pouring everything she has into each punch and kick she throws. He manages to dodge most of them, but she gets a few lucky hits in. Each one fuels her adrenalin and determination.

He's vaguely aware of Desi entering the room at some point and immediately engaging the man in a hand-to-hand fight.

Mac makes the mistake of turning his head to check on Riley, giving the woman he's fighting the perfect opportunity to get a good hit in. It disorients him a little, makes him stumble back. But he finds his footing again and uses the items around him to finally subdue the woman.

Seconds later, he watches as Desi takes down her opponent as well, the man falling to the floor unconscious.

As he turns toward the desk to check on Riley, his eyes go wide when he doesn't see her in the chair. His heart starts to beat a little faster, but then he sees movement out of the corner of his eye. He turns in time to see Riley stepping out into the hallway to meet Bozer, the two of them having a quick, hushed conversation.

He takes a small step in the direction of the door when his path is blocked by Desi. He reluctantly tears his eyes from Riley to look at Desi, giving her a strained smile. He lets her fuss over him, asking him if he's okay, but he can't help when his eyes drift back over to the doorway. He frowns a little when he no longer sees Riley standing there, only Bozer.

Bozer gives Mac a look that he can't quite decipher, then shakes his head and walks away down the hall.

Confusion lacing his brain, Mac's pulled back to the present moment by Desi's hands on his arms and the sound of a Phoenix team making their way closer to the office. He's vaguely aware of Desi saying something to him, her hand resting on the back of his neck to get him to look at her.

But it feels off. The sensation crawling across his skin feels all wrong. And he has a sneaking suspicion why. He just hopes it doesn't backfire on him when he confronts it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter! This is it! This is what I'm sure most of you have been waiting for. I won't say any more on it, just that I'm so so excited for this chapter to be out for you to read.
> 
> Enjoy!

Quick pounding at the front door pulls Riley's attention away from the movie playing out on her TV screen. It's something older that she's seen a few dozen times over the years, but it's exactly what she needed; just another thing to try and distract her from all the thoughts that have been running rampant in her mind the last week.

The pounding sounds again so she pauses the film and stands from her couch, letting out a small sigh as she moves across the room toward the door. Her brows furrow slightly when she pulls the door open. "Mac? What are you doing here?"

The corners of his mouth turn up quickly. "Hey. Do you have a minute to talk?"

She shifts, leaning against the door jamb and crossing her arms over her chest. "You're not going to leave until I say yes, are you?" She sighs heavily at the small shrug he gives. "Fine." She steps aside and waves him into her apartment, closing the door tightly behind him. She hangs back, closing her eyes for a moment to force herself to stay composed. She just needs to talk to him and get him to leave. And then she can continue being pathetic by secretly pining after him.

"So, uh, you kind of disappeared after the op. Haven't seen you around the Phoenix the last week and you haven't been answering my calls or texts either. I've been getting worried. I would have been here sooner but Bozer convinced me to wait."

Riley turns around, walking slowly past Mac and into the living room. "Yeah. I uh, I just had some personal stuff I needed to take care of. Matty let me have some time off."

"Oh. Is everything okay?"

She turns around to face him and nods, sliding her hands into the back pockets of her shorts. "Yeah, everything's fine." She breathes deeply, her brows furrowing slightly. "Is there something specific you wanted to talk about, Mac?"

"Yeah, there is. But that can wait. I want to make sure you're doing okay first."

She smiles tightly. "I promise I'm fine, Mac. Just your average night of watching movies alone." And repeatedly staring at the photo Bozer sent her that he managed to capture of her and Mac during the mission. But Mac doesn't need to know about the photo just yet. Or ever.

"Riles…"

She sighs heavily. "What do you want me to say, Mac? I told you I'm fine."

"And I like to think I know you well enough by now to know that you're not telling me the whole truth. Something's going on, and it was affecting you during the op and I know I probably made things weird between us by kissing you like that. And then you just disappeared afterward without saying anything." His entire face softens. "What's going on, Riles?"

She swallows thickly. "Nothing is going on. I'm fine."

He takes a small step closer to her, his eyes never straying from hers. "Riley, please. If something's wrong, let me help you."

She shakes her head, fighting back the tears that are threatening to spill over at his genuine concern for her and forcing a pained smile. He's so sweet like that, always wanting to help her even if he doesn't know the full story. "You can't help me with this, Mac," she tells him sadly. "You can't fix this one. Not this time."

"Can't you at least let me try?" he asks, sounding almost desperate.

"No, I can't."

"What? Why not?"

She sighs heavily, her eyes drifting down to the floor as she feels her resolve start to waver, a big from for her whenever she's around him. She just needs him to leave so she can stop thinking about him in that way. So she can try to forget about how amazing it felt to have his lips on hers and his hands caressing her skin. So she can keep trying to move on even though it's one of the most difficult things she's ever had to do.

"Riley, come on, we're friends, aren't we?"

She looks up at him and nods, her heart clenching at the soft look he's giving her that always makes her heart melt. "Yeah, we are, Mac. And that's the problem."

His brows furrow together tightly. "How...how is that the problem?"

She shakes her head, turning away from him as she can feel a few tears starting to escape despite her every effort to keep them at bay. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does, Riley. If I've done something wrong, or haven't been a good friend to you lately, I need to know. Because you've been pulling away recently and there's a part of my brain that's telling me that I did something wrong. And if that's the case, I need you to tell me so I can fix it."

"It's nothing you can fix, Mac, I already told you that. You're a great friend, that's not the problem in this." She takes a slow deep breath to steady her rapidly beating heart, grateful that she'd already thought to turn away from him. " _I'm_ the problem," she mutters under her breath, not thinking about how close he's standing to her.

"What? That's ridiculous. You're a great friend, Riley."

She spins around fast before she even realizes what she's doing. "Well, I want to be more than that!" She clamps her mouth shut tight and sucks in a sharp breath as soon as her words register and she sees the stunned look on Mac's face. The silence that surrounds them is deafening.

She's the first to break the silence, taking a step back from him and shaking her head. "Sorry. Just forget I said anything."

"No," he says, shaking his head and shifting on his feet. "No, you can't just say something like that and then not address it. Riley…" he trails off, his question left hanging in the air.

But he doesn't need to say it. She knows what he was going to ask. It's the very thing she's been trying to avoid saying aloud since the realization hit her back in Germany.

"Riles," he says softly, gaining her full attention once again.

She lets out a shaky breath. "Yes."

"Yes, what? I need to hear you say it, Riley. Please."

She swallows thickly and nods. "Yes, I have feelings for you. But I never said anything because I didn't want to get in between you and Desi. Seeing you two together was breaking my heart, Mac, but you were happy, and I couldn't mess that up. It's why I moved out of your place as soon as I could."

She lets out a humorless laugh, swiping at the tears that have started falling without her permission. "I've been in love with you for so long and this op just...everything you were saying and doing...and then that kiss…it was messing with my head and I needed to get away from you for a while, to put things back in perspective."

He opens and closes his mouth a few times. "What...what kind of perspective?"

"That I have to live with the constant pain of loving you knowing that you're never going to love me back the same way. That as much as I wanted that whole cheesy weekend to be real, just so I could be near you like that without feeling sad or guilty, I have to get over you."

Mac takes a small step toward her. "You don't have to."

She shakes her head, stepping back and holding up a hand to stop him. "Yes, I do. Don't you get it? I don't want to still be hopelessly pining after you while you're with someone else. That's not fair to me."

"Desi and I broke up. For good this time. Right after the op ended, but before we headed back."

She blinks, surprised. "Oh. Why...why'd you two end things?"

Mac lets out a breathy laugh, shifting on his feet as the tiniest hint of a smile plays at his lips. "That's, uh, the answer to that is actually part of why I came here to talk to you. I realized during the op that Desi and I weren't working anymore, that we haven't for a while. The constant back and forth, and the shaky trust between us, it's not healthy. It felt like we were trying too hard to have something there. It's not easy like it is when I'm with you."

She sucks in a sharp breath but doesn't let her mind go there just yet. Her heart is racing inside her chest just at the way he's looking at her with such intensity. "Mac…"

He moves closer to her again. "I came over here to tell you something, something that I thought was only one-sided. Something that I realized while we were on the op but needed a few days to process, to make sure that it was real and not just the mission getting in my head.

"When I was thinking over everything that happened during the op, and how it made me feel, you're the one I wanted to be talking to. You're the one I always want to be talking to." The edges of his lips curl up further. "When you fall asleep on me during our late night's eating take-out I want to be able to hold you in my arms all night and wake up with you next to me. I want to be able to hold your hand while we're just walking from the door to the car so that people know I'm yours. I want to be able to kiss you again as often as I possibly can. I want so much with you." He takes a slow, deep breath. "Riley, I'm falling in love with you."

Her breath catches in her throat and she swallows thickly, feeling the tears pricking at her eyes again. "You...what?"

He smiles brightly, the space between them shrinking as he moves closer and gently cradles her face in his hands. "I'm falling in love with you, Riles. I think I have been for a while, but I tried to push it all down because I didn't think you'd ever feel that way and I was still in a weird place with Desi. And then this weekend happened, and I know it for sure. I am completely and undoubtedly falling in love with you, Riley Davis."

Riley laughs through the tears that are cascading down her cheeks at hearing his sweet words. "So we've both been falling for each other this whole time while thinking the other wouldn't be interested? Some pair we are, huh?"

Mac laughs, swiping his thumbs across her cheeks to get rid of her tears. "Yeah. I am so sorry I put you through all of this pain."

"It's not your fault," she assures him. "You didn't know because I didn't want to make things weird between us and between you and Desi."

"I know." He tucks a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and then lets his hands drop to her waist. "And things might be a little weird at first, but we're all adults and professionals, we'll figure it out."

She gives him a small smile. "Yeah." She lifts her arms to loop them around his neck, stepping closer so his hands slide around her back. "We can definitely handle it."

He smiles and nods. "Yes, we can." He shifts a little on his feet. "Can...can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How long have you been in love with me? You said it's been a long time, but you never said exactly how long that is."

Riley takes a slow, deep breath. "Since Germany. So a couple of years now. There was this moment after we dealt with the bomb, and we hugged, and you grabbed my hand and had that smile on your face. I don't why it was right then, but I looked at you and something just clicked. I tried to push it down, but obviously, it didn't work and now, well, here we are." She shifts a little on her feet. "What about you? Did you mean what you said during the op when we were outside? Or was that just part of the act for you?"

He shakes his head. "No, I meant every word. Something clicked for me when we were sitting on the kitchen floor. I really was scared about what I was starting to feel, and that it might ruin our friendship, which is why I left. You mean a lot to me, and I didn't want to risk losing what we have. And I really do love our late-night take-out talks, they're some of my favorite nights."

She smiles. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to have more of them."

"You know, I was really hoping you'd say that. Hang on." He pulls out of her arms and hurries over to the front door.

Riley waits somewhat patiently, just wanting his arms wrapped around her again, and watches as he steps outside, the door hanging out open behind him.

"Hurry up," she calls even though she has no idea if he can actually hear her. She laughs quietly when he steps back inside, triumphantly holding up a bag of takeout. "Somebody was pretty confident this night would turn out well."

He smiles sheepishly. "I was hopeful."

"Well, it's a good thing you were. I think I might have a couple of beers with our names on them, too."

His smile widens. "Cool. I'll just...I'll wait for you out here."

"Okay." She smiles at him and then turns to make her way into the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. She takes a moment to herself in the kitchen, pushes her hair back with both hands, and breathes deeply. A wide grin breaks through, followed by a quiet laugh of disbelief. This is finally happening. It's everything she's wanted for so long but had recently been trying to come to terms with the reality of it never happening. Something that she no longer has to do.

Grabbing the beers out of the fridge, Riley takes another big breath as she makes her way back into the living room. Mac's already sitting on the couch with all the food containers spread out on the coffee table in front of him.

"Well, this smells amazing," she remarks, moving closer to the couch and holding out one of the beers to him.

He smiles as he takes it. "Thanks. Wish I could take credit for it."

She laughs quietly. "Yeah, I bet you do." She settles herself next to him on the couch, pulling her legs up under her. She brings her beer to her lips, allowing herself an extra few seconds to think of what to say next. Once she's decided, she turns on the couch so she's fully facing him, setting her beer down on the coffee table. "Hey, Mac, can I tell you something?"

He nods, setting his own drink down and looking at her. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"I'm scared."

Mac's brows furrow as he looks at her. "About what?"

"About this," she admits, gesturing between them. "I don't want to ruin our friendship because we try dating and then realize down the line that we don't work as a couple. I can't lose you either, Mac, you mean a lot to me too."

Mac shifts so he's facing her better, pulling one of his legs up under him so his knee is against the back of the couch, then reaches out to grab her legs and pull her across the cushions. He keeps his hands on her as he looks her in the eyes. "I promise you are not going to lose me."

The edges of her lips quirk up. "Well, you do always keep your promises."

He smiles and nods. "Exactly. Which is how you know I'm going to keep this one." He takes a deep breath, the fingers of one hand lightly tapping against her bare thigh. "Can I tell you something now?"

"You know you can tell me anything."

"Right. Well, uh, I haven't stopped thinking about kissing you since the op ended."

She smiles at the memory of his lips on hers. "Neither have I. I was a little bummed that our first kiss was on an undercover op, but I am certainly not complaining about how great it was."

"Well, we can always have a do-over," he suggests lightly with a small shrug. "We define this relationship however we want. So if you want to have a do-over for our first kiss, then we can."

"You'd really do that for me?" she asks with a small hint of a smile, her head tilted slightly as she watches him.

Mac smiles softly, pulling her closer until her knees are touching his legs, leaning forward to look deep into her eyes. "Riley Davis, I would do anything for you."

Without a second thought, Riley closes the space between them, grabbing the front of Mac's shirt to pull him closer as she slides her lips over his. It's much calmer than the one from the op, but it doesn't make it any less amazing. She smiles against him when he deepens the kiss, his hands sliding up to rest on her hips.

Reluctantly pulling away, Riley rests her forehead against Mac's, loosening her hold on his shirt. "Well, as far as first kisses go, I'd say that was pretty damn perfect."

Mac chuckles lightly. "I'd have to agree."

Leaning back, she drops her hand into her lap and looks Mac in the eyes. "Can we take things slow, though?" she asks him carefully. "You just got out of a long relationship and I don't want to rush into this. I don't know what I'd do if this turned out badly because we moved too fast."

Mac nods, smiling softly. "I get it. And don't worry, we can take things as slowly as you want. As long as I get to be with you, I am perfectly happy."

Riley smiles, letting out a breath. "Good." She shifts on the couch a little to grab one of the take-out containers and a pair of chopsticks off the coffee table, setting them in her lap. She grabs another container, one that she knows Mac enjoys, and hands it to him, smiling at him when he takes it.

A comfortable silence surrounds them as they dig into their meals, and she prays that this is one aspect of their relationship that never changes. Because as much as she does enjoy talking to Mac, sometimes it's nice to just be able to sit without _needing_ to talk. And right now, she is so glad to have him sitting across from her, her mind still reeling from the fact that he wants to be with her. She's on cloud nine right now and it's an incredible feeling.

"Hey, did I ever tell you about the time Bozer and I tried to fly?"

Riley snickers. "No. But now I have to know."

Mac's all smiles as he launches into the story from his and Bozer's childhood, emphasizing certain points with a wave of his hand or wild gestures.

She listens to his story with rapt attention, eager to have more dirt on Bozer to use when he least expects it. But she also just loves to hear Mac talk about anything that allows the excitement to come through in his words. She never wants to see that disappear, and can't help thinking about how great the night has turned out despite the way it started.

And even once they've both had their fill of take-out, they don't stop talking. They keep sharing stories and discussing their day-to-day lives and even make plans for future outings now that their feelings are out in the open.

It doesn't take long for her to end up sitting as close to Mac as she possibly can, leaning comfortably into his side as he tells her another crazy childhood story. She breathes deeply and sinks further into his embrace, the deep rumble of his chest as he laughs helping to pull her into that familiar comfort. He's warm and safe, and she knows that deep down this is it for her, _he's_ it for her. They're going to last forever. And she can't wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> One more chapter! And it's going to be...full of fluff, you guys. Just wait. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with the final chapter of this story! Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed, telling me how much they love this story, it's truly meant a lot to me. I had so much fun writing this story and I'm so glad I was able to share it with all of you.
> 
> This final chapter is so full of fluff, you guys. So much goodness.
> 
> Enjoy!

Adjusting his bow tie for what feels like the millionth time in the last five minutes, Mac lets out a heavy breath. He doesn't wear bowties very often, but when he does, he always seems to have trouble getting them to sit right. He doesn't even know why, it just never works.

He's not going to let this one little thing ruin his overall mood for the day, though. Because today is an amazing day, one that he's been waiting for probably longer than he realizes.

A soft knock at the door pulls his attention and he glances up over his shoulder. "Come in."

The door opens and Diane steps through, a small smile on her face when she sees him. "Well, look at you. Very handsome."

He smiles as he turns around. "Thanks. Except for this," he says, gesturing to his bow tie. "Riley always helps me when I can't get it to sit right, but she is adamant that we don't see each other yet."

Diane laughs lightly and moves further into the room, pointing to his bow tie. "Do you mind if I give it a try?"

He shrugs. "Go for it." He tilts his head back enough so she can reach the tie, silently wishing that Riley was the one fixing it. He can't wait to see her.

"There we go, all fixed."

Mac takes a step back and turns toward the mirror, admiring his reflection. He lets out a breath and then turns back around. "Thank you, Diane."

She smiles, waving him off. "No need to thank me. We are about to officially become family, after all."

He grins at the thought. "Yeah. I can't believe this day is finally here."

"Neither can I. For a moment there I thought I'd be old and completely gray before this day ever happened."

Mac chuckles and nods. "Well, thank goodness Riley didn't make either of us wait too long. Speaking of, shouldn't you be with her?"

"That's where I was before coming here. I wanted to check on you and see how you're doing."

He smiles appreciatively. "Thank you. I appreciate that. You know, I don't know if I've ever said it, but you did an amazing job raising Riley, and she's become such an incredible woman. I'm very lucky that I'm the man she's chosen to be with."

Diane lets out a breath. "If I'm being honest, I had a feeling there was something between you two not long after I saw you both together. I was just waiting to see if it would go anywhere."

Mac chuckles. "Well, it took a while, but it finally has."

Diane nods. "Yes. And I am beyond happy about that." She takes a deep breath and brushes her hand over his shoulder. "I'll let you finish getting ready."

He smiles. "Thanks." He waits for her to leave before turning back around to face the mirror, checking over his reflection once more.

Mac runs his hands down the front of his suit, smoothing out the fabric and admiring the way it sits on him. He'd been more than willing to wear an all-black suit after Riley had told him how incredible she thinks he looks when he wears one. It'd been a no-brainer right then and there that he'd be wearing one for their wedding.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he grabs his dress shoes and slips them onto his feet, quickly doing up the laces. He remains there for a moment longer, letting the reality of the day sink in.

He's moments away from marrying the love of his life, with their closest friends and family as witnesses. And he's beyond thrilled.

Standing from the bed, Mac breathes deeply and then makes his way out of the room, letting the door fall closed behind him. His eyes drift to the other door near him, resisting the urge to have a peek at his bride. There weren't too many wedding traditions Riley was insistent on, but not seeing her until she walks toward him during the ceremony was one of them. He can't fault her for that, though, that's always been one of the things he's looked forward to whenever he thought about his future wedding.

Forcing himself to walk down the hallway, he smiles at the various photos lining the walls, showcasing the different stages of his and Riley's relationship.

One of his favorites that they put up is from when they were undercover what feels like a lifetime ago now, an image that Bozer managed to capture while he was playing his part of photographer. In the photo, he's standing behind Riley with his arms around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. She has one hand covering his while the other holds a drink, a smile on her face as she recounts another story of their lives. His head is tilted slightly to look up at her as she talks, a wistful smile on his face.

Just looking at the photo, he can see how in love with Riley he was back then even before he realized exactly what he was feeling. He's so glad that Bozer saved that photo among all the ones he took that weekend. And that Riley ended up showing it to him.

"That's one of my favorite photos of the two of you."

Mac smiles, turning his head to look at Bozer standing next to him. "It's one of mine too. Thank you for taking it."

Bozer smiles. "It was my pleasure. I'm just glad I managed to capture it. And so nicely too."

Mac chuckles. "You do have a way with a camera, Boze. I think the photos in this hallway are evidence of that." He turns and smiles at the photos again, many of which were taken by Bozer during the most significant moments of Mac and Riley's relationship.

"I most certainly do. Now come on, it's time to get you hitched."

Mac laughs, turning around and following his friend the rest of the way down the hall toward the back of the house. Both doors to the deck are already open, the different voices of the guests mixing together and filtering into the house, bringing a small smile to Mac's face.

It'd been a pretty easy decision to have the wedding on the back deck at their house. It wouldn't be considered fancy or wedding venue material by the standards of most people, but they aren't most people. They knew exactly what they wanted and they knew they wouldn't need a giant venue with only having a handful of guests in attendance.

Stepping up onto the deck, Mac's greeted by his guests, and he takes a moment to stop and talk to each of them. They all pull him into hugs, offering their congratulations even though the ceremony hasn't started and he's not married just quite yet. He accepts it all, though. Even takes a moment to greet the man they hired to take photos for them, thanking him again for agreeing to photograph such a small ceremony.

Once he's greeted everyone, he walks around the fire pit to stand on the other side in front of the railing, straightening out the front of his suit jacket.

"You ready for this, Blondie?"

Mac smiles down at his boss. "Matty, I am more than ready. And thanks again, for agreeing to do this."

She smiles softly. "I'm honored you asked me. Now stand up straight, you only get one shot at this."

He nods, watching as Matty moves to stand closer to the deck railing, the beautiful Los Angeles skyline as their backdrop. It's the perfect setting, he thinks, for what's about to happen.

Taking a deep breath, Mac shifts on his feet, smiling when Bozer jogs a little to join him and then claps him on the back with a wide smile. As he stands there waiting he uses the opportunity to look around the space, taking in the small handful of guests seated around the deck; just their closest friends and family. Riley had been more than happy when he'd suggested they keep it small, stating that he didn't need anything big or extravagant to marry her. He just needed her, their closest friends and family, and someone to officiate.

Soft instrumental music slowly drifts through the small but powerful speakers set up on the deck, pulling his attention to the door on the left. He smiles at Leanna when she steps through as Riley's Matron of Honor, dressed beautifully in a silver dress with a small bouquet clutched in her hands. She takes her place opposite him and Bozer, a smile on her face the entire time.

Mac chuckles at the loud sound of shoes hitting against the steps, turning just in time to see the little boy, Dion, appearing with a small pillow clutched tightly in his hands, the wedding bands attached to the top with a ribbon. The boy's eyes are glued to the pillow as he walks, his tiny brows furrowed in concentration.

When he reaches the firepit, Dion looks up with a grin. "Daddy, I did it."

Bozer chuckles from behind him. "I can see that, little man. Now come here and stand with me and your Uncle Mac."

More shoes hitting hard against the wooden steps pulls Mac's attention back to the door, smiling when he sees the little girl walking up the steps, a wicker basket filled with flower petals in her hand. She tosses them into the air as she walks slowly, the petals floating back down to land on the wooden deck.

When she reaches the end she looks up at him and grins. "Hi, daddy."

He smiles back, his heart swelling with how much more like Riley the little girl is looking every single day, right down to the dark curls and mesmerizing smile. "Hey, Ellie. Great job. Now go stand with Auntie Leanna, okay?"

"Okay, daddy." She hops across the wood and stands right in front of Leanna, leaning back against the woman's legs.

Mac lets his eyes linger for a moment on his daughter, thinking back on the day she was born. It'd been an incredible day, one that came when he and Riley had been dating for exactly a year and a half. She'd gotten pregnant just a few months before they hit their one-year anniversary, despite their decision to take their relationship slow.

Things had been fine for the first few months. They'd been doing a good job at moving slowly and just getting familiar with being around each other again and exploring their new dynamic at a reasonable pace. But then one near-death experience on a mission and long, emotionally-charged conversation later, they were no longer moving slow.

And then their sweet little Ellen came along several months later. She'd been very unexpected but they knew in an instant that they loved her and wanted her. But they both agreed to wait at least a couple of years before getting married. They just wanted to enjoy being parents for a little while.

So now they're finally tying the knot with their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter included in the ceremony. It's pretty damn perfect if anyone were to ask him.

A light nudge to his shoulder from Bozer has him looking to the doorway once again. Footsteps echo against the stairs, and then Riley appears.

Mac's breath catches when he sees her, tears instantly springing to his eyes. The only time he can think of when she looked just as beautiful as she does right now is the moment she held their daughter for the first time after giving birth—a sentiment Riley would highly disagree with.

He can't keep his eyes off of her as she moves toward him by herself. They both knew that had he still been alive, Jack would be the one escorting her right now, trying to hold himself together and keep from crying.

In reality, he knows it doesn't take long for Riley to walk across the deck to him, but in his mind, it's like she's walking in slow motion. She looks absolutely stunning in the white dress that hugs her figure nicely and falls right below her knees. Her naturally curly hair is hanging freely down her back with only a few small pieces of it pulled back behind her head. A small bouquet is clutched tightly in her hands and a watery smile covers her face.

When she finally stops in front of him, Mac's overwhelmed by the familiar, faint scent of coconut, but he thankfully remembers to breathe.

He smiles brightly as he takes her hands in his, giving them a small squeeze. "You look incredible."

She smiles back. "So do you."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Matty's voice drifts into his head, though he doesn't tear his eyes away from Riley, "we're all gathered here today to witness a union of two souls. A union that I'm sure we've all been waiting a very long time for."

Everyone laughs quietly and Mac can't help but join in.

"I'll keep this short and sweet," Matty continues, "but I wanted to say how truly beautiful what you two are doing today is. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly, and I don't believe either of you is going into this feeling that way. You're making a commitment to each other, to your daughter, and that is a wonderful thing. Now, I believe you've written your own vows that you'd like to share."

Mac nods, reluctantly letting go of one of Riley's hands to pull a sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket. He tightens his hold on her other hand just the slightest bit and takes a deep breath. "When I think about the road that led us here, I sometimes think about if I had realized my feelings for you earlier, maybe we could have been here a lot sooner. But then I realize that everything we've been through since we met, it's made us who we are today. And I like who we are. And I like who we are when we're together. Life with you is easy and everything feels right. You and Ellen are my entire world, and I'm beyond thrilled to finally get to call myself your husband. I can't wait to keep going through life with you at my side, because I know we can get through anything the world throws at us if we're together."

He smiles at Riley, putting his paper away and then reaching up to brush aside the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. "You okay?" he asks softly.

She nods with a smile. "Yeah, I'm good." She takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, and looks him straight in the eyes. She pulls out her own paper and then gives his hand a small squeeze. "I've loved you for a long time, Mac. There were times where it was hard to love you, thinking that you'd never feel the same way about me. There were times where I almost gave up hope that we'd ever be anything more than friends. But then one weekend changed everything for us. And no matter how many times throughout that weekend I wished it wasn't real so I could stop hurting, so I wouldn't fall more in love with you, I'm so glad it happened. Because it gave me you, and Ellie, and us. Loving you is the easiest thing I have ever done, Angus MacGyver, it's as easy as breathing. I can't wait to finally be your wife and to keep going through life with you side by side."

He's so focused on Riley that he almost misses Matty asking him for the rings. But he turns around in time to see Dion moving forward and holding up the ring pillow with a small smile.

Mac kneels in front of him and unties the ribbon to remove the rings. He ruffles the boy's hair and smiles at him. "Thanks, buddy."

Dion just smiles and then steps back over to Bozer.

Standing up and turning around, Mac hands the larger of the two rings to Riley and then takes a deep breath. He looks at Matty and nods once.

She smiles. "Mac, do you take Riley Nicole Davis to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward?"

Mac grins as he slides the slim band onto Riley's finger. "I do."

"And do you, Riley, take Angus James MacGyver to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward?"

Riley slides the ring onto his finger with a matching grin. "I do."

"Then by the power vested in me, by the beautiful state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Kiss your bride, Blondie."

Not needing to be told twice, Mac steps forward with a light chuckle, dropping Riley's hands to grab her hips and pull her into a searing kiss. He smiles against her, gripping her hips a little tighter.

Riley kisses him back just as deeply, her arms looping around his neck and pulling him down closer. The sound of their friends and family cheering is the perfect background to their first kiss as a married couple.

A small force rams into his legs a moment later and he reluctantly pulls away from Riley and looks down to see his daughter staring up at them. She has a wide grin on her face and is holding her arms up, looking between them.

Mac chuckles, reaching down to lift Ellie into his arms and settle her on his hip, and then wraps his other arm around Riley's waist. "Were you feeling left out?"

Ellie nods. "Yeah."

Mac and Riley laugh together and then each press a kiss to Ellie's cheeks, making the toddler giggle.

Ellie wraps an arm around each of their necks and pulls them closer. "I love you, mommy. I love you, daddy."

Riley smiles. "We love you too, baby."

Mac presses a kiss to his daughter's temple, hiking her up a little higher, and then turns toward their guests. He smiles brightly at everyone. "We did it."

Everyone cheers again and he can't keep the smile off his face. It may have been a small ceremony and relatively quick, but it was perfect for them.

"Alright," Bozer speaks up as he takes a few steps forward and claps his hands together, "as much as I love this, and I really do, I think everyone here is eager to start digging into the food." He glances between Dion and Ellie. "Who wants to help me finish getting the food ready?"

Both kids immediately start shouting and raising their hands in the air. Mac nearly gets clobbered by Ellie's fist but he manages to duck in time.

He carefully sets his daughter on the deck and watches as Bozer leads her and Dion inside the house toward the kitchen. He chuckles when he hears Bozer start to explain certain aspects behind what he made to the kids, though neither child seems too interested. The voices fade as they get further into the house, the door swinging closed behind them.

Quiet conversations pick up between their guests as everyone starts moving around and getting a little more comfortable for the reception portion of the evening. He's sure they'll all move inside when it's time to eat, so they can use actual furniture. And he knows that Leanna and Riley don't want to risk the kids ruining their outfits because they tried eating out on the deck.

Shifting on his feet, Mac wraps both his arms around Riley's waist to pull her closer. He smiles when hers loop up around his neck again.

"Hi," she says softly.

"Hi." He presses a quick kiss to her lips. "I love you, Mrs. Macgyver."

Riley's smile widens. "I love you too, Mr. MacGyver."

Mac chuckles. "Do you remember the first time you called me 'Mr. MacGyver'?"

She tilts her head, a playful smile on her lips. "Mm...I believe it was right before you broke me out of prison."

"Okay, I didn't break you out, per se. I just helped persuade the-powers-that-be to let you out a few years early. And it was, hands down, one of the best decisions I've ever made. Though, I know Jack would want some of the credit for all of this, seeing as he's the one who suggested we go see you in the first place."

Riley's smile falters. "I wish he was here for this. For all of it."

He smiles softly. "I know. So do I. But the best way that we can live like he's here with us is by having as much fun as we possibly can."

Riley's smile returns to its full brightness and she nods. "Absolutely. So let's go see if that food is ready. I've been starving all day."

Mac laughs quietly, unwrapping his arms from around her to instead grab her hand and pull her toward the house. Whatever his lady wants, she gets.

* * *

Letting her eyes roam over the people sitting around the room, Riley can't keep the smile off her face as she watches them. Her head is resting comfortably on Mac's shoulder with one of his arms wrapped around her waist as he and Bozer talk, the two of them laughing as they reminisce about their childhood. Her mom has Ellie perched in her lap, the two of them playing with some of Ellie's dolls while talking in hushed tones. Dion is curled up in Leanna's lap, dried tears on his cheeks from all the crying he did after falling and bumping his head just a few moments earlier.

Everyone else in the room is having conversations too in pairs or small groups, enjoying spending time together while they eat the food that Bozer so graciously offered to make. As soon as she and Mac had told Bozer they were getting married and were just going to have something small and intimate at their house, he insisted on making food for after the ceremony. And it turned out amazing, as his food always does. Even if it is taking her a little longer to eat it than usual, her plate sitting on the coffee table still mostly filled with food.

"Um, excuse me, everyone," Bozer's voice pulls her attention as he stands up to address the room. "I know that Mac and Riley didn't want to make a big fuss with speeches or anything, but I've always dreamed of being Mac's Best Man and giving a speech at his wedding one day, so I'm doing it."

Riley laughs quietly and shakes her head at Bozer's antics. She should have known. She can't blame him, though. "Just don't take forever," she tells him.

He waves her off, shifting on his feet. "Now, as most of you know, Mac and I have been best friends since we were kids. And because of that we've seen each other through many ups and downs over the years, more than anyone should ever have to go through. I've seen him through a lot of crushes and a few serious relationships too. But none of those could ever compare to what he has always had with Riley, even before he saw it. They are the perfect match, and I am so glad that they finally found their way to each other." He smiles brightly at them. "Your love is epic, your family is beautiful, and I wish you only the best moving forward into this new, amazing chapter of your lives. I love you guys."

Riley's off of the couch in an instant, pulling Bozer into a tight hug as a few tears escape past her eyes. "Thank you, Bozer. We love you too." Stepping out of the hug, she flashes him a bright smile and then returns to her spot on the couch while Mac hugs his friend. Once he's back beside her she snuggles as far into his side as she can get.

Thankfully no one else stands to give a speech after that. She doesn't know if she'd be able to handle more crying from whatever sweet words would be said about her and Mac. Which is a big part of the reason why she didn't want there to be any speeches, she knew she'd be an emotional mess.

"Mommy?"

Looking up, Riley smiles when she sees Ellie being held securely in the arms of Desi's girlfriend of six months, Ashley. "Hey, baby."

"Mommy, I wanna go outside."

"She tried to run straight out there but I caught her before she could, told her she should probably let you know where she was going first," Ashley explains.

Riley smiles appreciatively. "Thank you. She can go out on the deck, just don't let her get too close to the fire pit. I know it isn't lit up or anything right now, but still, I'd rather her not go near it."

Ashley nods. "Got it. Hey, Dion, wanna come outside with me and Ellie?"

Dion nods silently from his place still in Leanna's lap and then slides down onto the floor. He shuffles over and takes Ashley's outstretched hand, sniffling a little as the three of them make their way toward the back deck.

"You know, if Ashley actually wanted kids of her own, she'd be a great mom one day," Mac says in her ear.

Riley nods. "Yeah, she really would. I'm just glad Ellie and Dion seem to like her as much as they do."

It'd been almost instantaneous the way Ellie and Dion had latched onto Ashley not long after Desi introduced her to the whole team four months ago. None of them were too shocked to meet Ashley, they'd all figured that Desi was seeing someone new but was just waiting for the right time to announce it. They were all surprised at who Ashley was though, the literal embodiment of sunshine who works in cyber at the Phoenix. But somehow, she and Desi work well as a couple, and Riley's glad that her friend seems to have finally found someone who's perfect for her.

Riley's also glad that her friendship with Desi didn't massively crumble after she started dating Mac. She'd been worried, naturally, and things were a little weird at first. But the awkwardness quickly faded and Riley's friendship with Desi was able to grow stronger. Desi agreed soon after that she and Mac definitely work better as just being friends than trying to be in a romantic relationship. And she's genuinely happy now that she's dating Ashley.

And that's all Riley's ever wanted for everyone she's closest to, for all of them to find that one person or thing that makes them truly happy. Then never let it go.

Bozer found it too, thankfully, when Leanna came back from her deep cover op not long after the weekend getaway mission. The two wasted no time at all rekindling their romance and Leanna hasn't taken any more deep cover ops because she missed being around the team and claimed that while it was a good op, it wasn't truly what she wanted out of her career. So the two got married soon after restarting their relationship, and then ended up having Dion right around the same time Riley had Ellen.

It was fun getting to experience all the highs and lows of pregnancy alongside a good friend, to not have to be alone in her aches and pains. But to also have someone there to gush with her about the sweeter moments of the whole experience.

A slight nudge against her side has her looking up at her husband's soft smile. "What?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing. You just look really cute when you zone out like that."

She rolls her eyes despite the smile on her face. "Okay, I've already had your kid and now I've married you too, you don't need to keep being so damn charming."

Mac chuckles. "Can't help it." He leans down to kiss her slowly. "And I think the party has moved back outside now. Bozer said something about starting a fire and putting on some music to set the mood." He laughs lightly. "You wanna go out and join everyone?"

"Uh, in a minute," she says, shifting in her seat to get closer to him, practically sitting on his lap with her back to his chest. "I wanna stay like this for a little bit longer."

"Well, I certainly won't object to that." He shifts a little so his arms wrap tighter around her, lowering his head just enough to press a kiss against the side of her neck.

She smiles when she feels his lips lingering against her skin, knowing that he's breathing in the coconut-scented lotion she applied earlier. He's never outright said it, but she knows that he loves whenever she wears any kind of beauty product that's coconut scented. And she knows that it stems from the op where they had to pretend to be engaged. She certainly hadn't intended to get Mac hooked on the scent of coconut during that op, but she is definitely not complaining about it now that they're together.

He's always a little more affectionate whenever she wears it, something that can get them into trouble if they aren't careful. Case in point, the whole reason she's been extra emotional all day and still hasn't finished the food Bozer made.

Breathing deeply, Riley tilts her head to look up and smiles softly. "I love you, Mac."

He smiles back at her just as softly. "I love you too, Riles. And I'm so happy we finally did this. I know it's only been a few hours, but I already love being married to you."

"It is pretty amazing, isn't it?"

He nods. "Very. I'm married to my best friend, the woman of my dreams...and everything's perfect. I honestly don't know how this night could get any more perfect than it already is."

"Wanna bet?" She turns in her spot to face her new husband better and bites her bottom lip between her teeth. "I have something I need to tell you."

Mac's brows furrow slightly. "What is it?"

Riley takes another deep breath, letting one hand fall to rest on her stomach, spreading her fingers out over the fabric of her dress. "I'm pregnant. I just found out the other day and was waiting for the right time to tell you."

Mac surges forward without a word and pulls her into a kiss, one of his hands cradling the back of her head while the other finds her stomach and rests on top of her hand. He pulls back and rests his forehead against hers. "This was definitely the right time. And I was wrong. Tonight just got so much more perfect."

"You think so?"

He nods. "I know so." He glances down at her stomach and then lets out a watery laugh, looking back up at her with tears shining in his eyes. "We're having a baby."

She grins. "We're having a baby."

Mac pulls her in for another kiss, this one quicker than the last. "I don't want to go out there anymore. I just want to stay right here."

"I know. But someone will probably come looking for us if we don't."

Mac lets out a heavy breath. "You're right." He extracts himself from her hold and stands up from the couch, extending one of his hands to her. "Care to join me?"

"You go," she says. "I'll be out there in a minute."

Mac's smile falters. "Are you okay?"

She smiles softly. "I'm fine, I promise. I just want another second to myself. Then I'll come join you."

He nods. "Okay." He drops a lingering kiss to her forehead and then makes his way out onto the back deck to join their friends and family.

It's only been a few hours since she and Mac tied the knot, but she's still floating. She's now Riley MacGyver, and she couldn't be any happier. Life is pretty damn good for her, and if someone were to have told her six years ago that she'd be here right now, she wouldn't have believed them. She would have said they were crazy, that it could never happen, that Mac would never feel this way about her.

But it has, and he does, and she's beyond happy with where her life has ended up. She's married to the love of her life, has a beautiful daughter, a great job, wonderful friends, and a new baby on the way.

Loud laughter pulls her attention and, immediately recognizing it as her daughter, she's up off the couch and walking toward the back deck. She stops on the stairs, leans against the railing, and smiles at the sight of Mac holding their daughter in his arms and spinning her around in circles. Ellie is giggling and Mac has a wide smile on his face. He's always got the widest, softest smile whenever he's with their daughter and is already wrapped so tightly around the three-year-old's tiny finger. Ellie just has to look at him with her big brown eyes and he'll give her whatever she wants. She's not even sure if the toddler realizes what she's doing.

Riley thinks it's sweet, though, how amazing of a dad Mac's been to their little girl since day one, but she also knows it's going to come back and seriously bite him in the ass as Ellie gets older. Personally, she can't wait to see it happen.

"Mommy! Come dance!"

Mac looks over at her with a soft smile. "Yeah, Riles, come dance with us." He shifts Ellie to one hip and then holds a hand out in her direction, swaying from side to side.

Riley smiles, pushing off the door frame and moving across the deck to join her family. She wraps one arm around Mac's torso and rests the other on her daughter's back, letting her body sway with her husband's to the music that's playing. It's by no means a slow song, but she doesn't mind.

Mac's arm snakes around her waist and pulls her closer so he can drop a kiss to the top of her head. His fingers just barely brush against her stomach and she knows he's thinking about when she eventually starts showing so that he can cradle her belly and press kisses to her skin while talking to their unborn child. He did the exact same thing when she was pregnant with Ellie and it's one of the sweetest things she's ever witnessed.

The music from the speakers surrounding them mixes with the conversations and laughter from everyone else, filling her mind and allowing her to get lost in the feeling of being wrapped in her husband's embrace. It's one of her favorite places to be, no matter where she is. But especially now, being newlyweds and continuing to float on cloud nine. Everything about it just feels right, like it was always, always going to come to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with the final chapter of this story! Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed, telling me how much they love this story, it's truly meant a lot to me. I had so much fun writing this story and I'm so glad I was able to share it with all of you.
> 
> This final chapter is so full of fluff, you guys. So much goodness.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


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